In recent years the concept of 'diversity' has gained a leading place in academic thought, business practice and public policy worldwide. Although variously used, 'diversity' tends to refer to patterns of social difference in terms of certain key categories. Today the foremost categories shaping discourses and policies of diversity include race, ethnicity, religion, gender, disability, sexuality and age; further important notions include class, language, locality, lifestyle and legal status. The Routledge Handbook of Diversity Studies will examine a range of such concepts along with historical and contemporary cases concerning social and political dynamics surrounding them. With contributions by experts spanning Sociology, Anthropology, Political Science, History and Geography, the Handbook will be a key resource for students, social scientists and professionals. It will represent a landmark volume within a field that has become, and will continue to be, one of the most significant global topics of concern throughout the twenty-first century.

About the Author
Steven Vertovec is Director at the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity, Goettingen, Germany. He is Co-Editor of the journal Global Networks, author of four books including Transnationalism (Routledge, 2008) and Super-Diversity (Routledge, forthcoming), and editor or co-editor of over thirty volumes including Conceiving Cosmopolitanism (Oxford University Press, 2003), Migration (five volumes, Routledge 2010), and The Multicultural Backlash (Routledge 2010).

Reviews

"Fittingly and somewhat ironically, this book helps delimit and define what diversity studies means for the 21st century. Through inputs from a wide range of scholars on a broad range of themes, the text at once introduces topics and synthesises what might otherwise remain disparate areas of inquiry. While Diversity Studies may never supplant disciplines, this text is invaluable in revealing the complexity of our world and providing tools for how we might understand it." - Loren B. Landau, South African Research Chair in Mobility and the Politics of Difference, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa

"Contemporary societies are preoccupied by the challenges of living with diversity, whether it be in terms of race, ethnicity, sexuality or other differences. This volume provides a comprehensive and at the same time engaging discussion of the whole field of diversity studies. Each chapter is concise, to the point and full of ideas that will be of interest to academic and general readers alike. It is a real must for all those who want to understand the complexities of how we live with difference and diversity in our ever changing globalised environment" - Professor John Solomos, Department of Sociology, University of Warwick

"The editor and contributors to this handbook have effected an unlikely triumph -- turning a vague journalistic, official and corporate description ('diversity') into a serious social scientific concept". - Robin Cohen, Emeritus Professor, University of Oxford

"In one compendium, the Routledge International Handbook of Diversity Studies brings together a wide array of definitions, dimensions and discourses that have contributed to shaping the emerging field of diversity studies. Not only does this collection help us revisit perennial questions about ethnicity, gender, class and multiple modes of social classification, it equips us with a set of new lenses to view the messy realities of contemporary social life, not through predefined categories but through an openness to the simultaneous, intersecting and inter-scalar co-presence of "difference" and "sameness" in constant motion." - Brenda Yeoh, National University of Singapore

"Diversity is a hot topic; therefore, this tome is very timely. It is packed full of information pertaining to diversity and includes essays on ageism, disabilities, sexual diversity, xenophobia and law, just to name a few... This book is very worthwhile because of the plethora of information it contains. The contributors are academics from a variety of fields including anthropology, gender studies, history, sociology, law, and many other disciplines. The book need not be read from cover to cover; instead, it is an invaluable tool for research and teaching. It is rewarding to see the variety of disciplines of the authors, who discuss diversity from their unique points of view. They help readers understand the rich aspects and histories of different looks, religions, backgrounds, genders, sex, etc., as well as supplying information for further research, with comprehensive references following each essay. Summing Up: Essential" - S. J. Zuber-Chall, formerly, Emporia State University

Book Information
ISBN 9780367867904
Author Steven Vertovec
Format Paperback
Page Count 422
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 644g